Race Report: Monster Energy MXoN 2012

That’s it. It’s done. It’s time to officially begin the off-season because the 2012 Monster Energy MXoN has came to a close in Lommel, Belgium. Headed into the final day of racing, Team Germany’s Ken Roczen, Max Nagl, and Marcus Schiffer were on a high as they entered Sunday’s event with the top qualifying position, and that momentum carried on throughout the day. When all of the dust settled and the roar of the crowd came to a quiet, Germany emerged as the victor and ended Team USA’s seven-year streak. They also grabbed the first win for Germany in the MXoN’s 66-year history. Belgium’s Clement Desalle, Jeremy van Horebeek, and Ken de Dycker took the second spot, while Team USA’s Ryan Dungey, Blake Baggett, and Justin Barcia finished third.

MX1/MX2

When the gate dropped for the first race of the day, Team Germany’s Max Nagl snagged the holeshot, but Rui Goncalves and Antonio Cairoli quickly made their way around the KTM rider after the first lap. Meanwhile, Ryan Dungey and Blake Baggett were fighting their way through the pack back in 8th and 23rd, respectively. Cairoli was proving to be the fastest rider on the technical sandy track because once he moved into the lead, the gap started to open up tremendously. Ken Roczen started the race behind Dungey, but the young German rider was on a tear, and he was quickly moving up towards the front of the pack. Just as Baggett started to set into a fast pace, the MX2 rider tumbled through the sand. France’s Gautier Paulin was on a move and he hopped into the second spot. For a few laps, the French rider started to close the gap on Cairoli, but his charge slowly began to fade, and he settled into his position. When the checkered flag came out, Cairoli took the win by 21-seconds, while Paulin and Nagl rounded off the podium. Dungey finished in seventh, and Baggett finished in 14th. Team USA’s first moto result tied them for third with France, Team Belgium took the second spot, and Team Germany went into the second moto as the leader.